Objective: Skin prick testing is the most frequently used method in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated reactions. Since skin prick testing is simple, quick, in expensive, and highly sensitive, it plays a crucial role in allergy diagnosis. Some children are more compliant during skin testing than others. This study was performed to investigate the differences between compliant and noncompliant children.

Materials and Methods: A total of 79 children between the ages of 4 and 16 (39 females and 40 males) were included in this study. As part of the procedure, a nurse asked the families of the subjects to complete a questionnaire. Some of the questions included the age and sex of the child, education level of the mother and father, family income level, the child`s birth order, and number of siblings. Other information gathered included the child`s previous hospitalizations, history of parenteral drug administration, and whether or not the family had informed the child about the upcoming skin test. Following completion of the questionnaire, the skin prick test was performed by the same nurse. Subject compliance was recorded on the survey form. Results: 54.8% of the patients were compliant, while 39.4% were not. Statistically significant differences between compliant and noncompliant children were not observed concerning age, sex, parental educational levels, family income level, number of the siblings, birth order, previous hospitalizations, or history of parenteral drug administration (p> 0.05). However, it was found that the informing of a child by the family about the upcoming skin test had a statistically significant impact on his/her compliance during the test (p< 0.05).

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that being accurately informed by family regarding the upcoming procedures enhanced the compliance of children during diagnosis and treatment.